The Hack to Finding Motivation at the Most Demotivating Times

Motivation is all it takes to succeed, and also the lack of motivation is all it takes to fail. Even though that may not be entirely true, as understandably it is a lot of factors that ensure success or a combination of factors which lead to failure; nobody can deny that motivation plays a huge role in our lives. Whether it’s running a business or simply running a few errands, if one lacks the sufficient level of motivation, nothing gets done.

There are many self-help guides out there that simply tell you to shake off that feeling of lethargy or procrastination and simply become a doer, but such methods only work in certain cases. What most such methods lack is a proper plan on how you can manage your motivation levels so that they get refilled whenever they hit dangerously low levels. Although different plans work for different people, but regardless of those differences, essentially you should be aiming to include the following in your lifestyle.

Motivation is all it takes to succeed, and also the lack of motivation is all it takes to fail

Make Over-Ambitious Goals

Although most people will make fun of your goals, calling them too far-fetched or disconnected from reality, but when you set goals that seem impossible to achieve in the short term, you align yourself to what may eventually become possible in the future. Your short-term goals can be very realistic, such as projects you’d like to complete or things you’d like to cross off your list in the next year, or even the next minute. But when making your long-term goals, there is no harm in making them as ambitious as you can, without of course deviating too much from what you’d actually want to eventually achieve.

For example, Elon Musk says he wants to colonize Mars. Now that may sound preposterous at this time, as there is no life on Mars at the moment. However that is a goal Musk has set for himself and his company, and to get there he is working on technology that is breaking all barriers of innovation. Just recently, Musk launched a test rocket that became the first one to land back on Earth as well, effectively opening doors to making space travel much cheaper than ever before.

When you set goals that seem impossible to achieve in the short term, you align yourself to what may eventually become possible in the future

Interact With Your Customers

Sitting within the walls of the office all the time can create a sense of disillusionment with whatever you are doing, and it’s perfectly natural to question the impact your actions are having in the grand scheme of things. However, when running a business, it’s the customers that are ultimately the most important stakeholders, as ultimately they are the ones who consume whatever you are selling.

So, whenever you feel like you are not making a difference in the world, or that your job or your business is starting to lose its sense of purpose, go out and meet with your customers. You’ll be surprised at what they have to say, especially how your product or service impacts their life. Even if they have negative feedback, the insight you receive from such interactions would be much more useful than the conventional market research you conduct.

But most importantly, what you take away from such interactions is a renewed sense of purpose. You immediately recognize what kind of impact your work, your job, or your business, is having on the lives of people, renewing and re-energizing your level of motivation that had started to wane.

Maybe You Need to Relax

While it may seem like you need to push yourself even harder to regain your level of motivation that helped you or your business achieve success at one point in time, maybe what’s required is you taking a step back and going on a vacation.

It may sound like a ridiculous idea at first, but you need to understand that there is a limit to how much we can handle as human beings, and although we may like to keep going for as long as possible without taking a break, it is essential that we get the amount of rest we need.

For example, there is a limit to the number of hours we can stay up in a particular day. After those numbers are up, we naturally feel exhausted and hit the bed to rejuvenate and recharge. Similarly, whenever your mind is exhausted, it needs to rest, and although you may be physically well-rested, your mind may need a few days to regain its strength.